The Killing Joke
by MegaFrost4
Summary: AU where the Joker has the super soldier serum, replacing Red Skull as Steve's arch nemesis. Based on the chilling Graphic Novel by Alan Moore, Superfamily AU
1. Chapter 1

The crisp night air did nothing to him. The shiver that ran through his cut skin betrayed him, but that was the only sign of weakness, because his piercing eyes never once wavered from the faces standing before him.

He laughed.

He shook his head and spit blood at their feet. The smallest one, standing slightly behind the two towering figures, flinched ever so slightly. Good. Kid was still scared of him. Try as he might, he was still a kid.

And he himself was the boy's boogeyman.

Even though he had grown up. And by chance that no one could possibly win in a game of cards, this little kid was given an opportunity, an opportunity to ruin his plan for total annihilation.

He laughed again, even as a cold, metal punch bruised his jaw. He continued to laugh as agents bound him in a straight jacket.

"Back to Arkham, you son of a bitch..." That robotic voice spat.

Just before the doors to the van shut him away from the outside world, one little conversation brought him back to reality.

"Easy, babe. Please, not in front of Pe-the, the kid..." Captain America quietly scolded.

_Oh, Daddy is in trouble now..._The Joker laughed and laughed, despite the desperate need to catch his breath.

* * *

**Two weeks later...**

Peter Stark-Rogers sat up in bed in a cold sweat. His head was pounding, and his senses were going haywire. Eyes darted around the room, looking for danger.

"J-JARVIS?" He sighed as the AI turned the lights on, opening the curtains to also let in natural sunlight. The sound of the ocean started to play in the speakers and it eased his anxiety a little as he sunk back into the pile of pillows.

"_Is everything alright? Shall I alert your fathers?_" JARVIS asked, sounding a little worried.

Peter shook his head. "No, no! I'm ok, just had another nightmare, is all..."

"_Your heart rate has escalated dramatically, and your shaking still has not ceased._"

"I..." Peter tried to steady his breathing. He closed his eyes but immediately opened them because every damn time he relaxed, those eyes would be staring at him. And that smile...that horrid smile...

"I'm going to take a shower, try to calm down a little." Peter told JARVIS.

"_An excellent idea, sir._" JARVIS took note of his vitals, knowing how the past several nights and following mornings have gone. He alerted everyone what was going on, of course, much to Peter's dismay, because well, the AI cared about him just as much as Tony or Steve.

* * *

The two heroes were just starting to wake up, despite Tony begging to stay in bed all day.

"Tony, come on, babe, I've got that meeting with Fury and-"

"Why does he have to ruin my perfect morning?" Tony rolled on top of Steve, lazily pinning him down.

Steve laughed. "Because I'm the only responsible one that can do paperwork."

"Bruce is the second smartest person on the team...after me, of course."

"Of course." Steve kissed his husband. "But Bruce was hulked out the whole time, and I don't think he really remembers much."

Tony whined. "Ok, fine, yeah, he tends to forget things with the Big Guy." He buried his head into Steve's neck. "Please don't be all day."

Steve melted at Tony's cuteness. "I promise I'll be home in a couple hours, tops. Do you want pizza?" He smiled when he felt Tony's facial hair tickle his neck.

"Yes, please."

"_Sirs, I hate to interrupt, but you wanted me to alert you when young Peter was having another anxiety attack. I'm afraid the nightmares still continue._"

"God love him." Steve closed his eyes as they both got up and ran to their son's bedroom.

"Even locked up, that bastard still haunts him." Tony angrily spat.

"Tony..." Although Steve hated when Tony swore and cursed, especially around Peter, he could not blame him. Inwardly, Steve cursed this nightmare just as strongly.

Back in the day, World War II was not kind to anyone, and as Red Skull seemed to have been just as bad as Hitler himself, unfortunately, that was not where the terror stopped. According to SHIELD, a young man working for HYDRA fell into a container of toxic and deadly chemicals. They were trying to reproduce the super soldier serum so Red Skull could have an unstoppable army. The poor man miraculously managed to crawl out himself and when the scientists found him, he was hysterical, with his skin bleached and a smile that should have torn his face apart. Oddly enough, this man also survived the 70 odd years just like Steve and vowed revenge on the Captain for destroying Red Skull's plans for HYDRA. This man dubbed himself as the Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime, sprinkling chaos all over New York City. As time went on, he became more than just a weekly nuisance for the Avengers. Peter had just started going on simple missions with all of the Avengers, some of them with the Joker directly involved. Tony and Steve were always proud of Peter wanting to help people, but sometimes things got out of hand. Sometimes a word would slip, or a look of affection.

And they had been so careful...

The Joker got a whiff of something between them all, and knew he struck a nerve with the newest Avenger. The boy hated clowns, and the Joker took that to his advantage. He also figured out that Iron Man and Captain America were a couple. And that night, the Joker believed his suspicions to be true...that kid was their son.

"Peter?" Steve snapped out of it, and saw Tony slowly open the door.

A gasp shot across the room from the closet, Peter almost ripping the shirt down to his hips. He nervously tried to unstretch the fabric.

"Hey Dad, Pops...sorry, you, uh, startled me. I...uh, what's up?"

"Are you ok, honey?" Steve asked his son.

Tony studied his mannerisms, the bags under his eyes, and the shaking. It was just as bad now as it was when all of this started. "Come sit down." Tony gently offered as he himself sat on the edge of the bed.

Peter shook his head once, then slowly eased onto the bed. Both fathers took his hands into theirs.

"I just checked in with JARVIS and Coulson." Tony looked into his son's scared eyes. "No breakouts or riots at Arkham. Everything is in tip top shape." Tony assured him.

Peter nodded his head again, taking a deep breath. "Th-that's good." He seemed to relax a little at the news, then started to cry. "I'm so sorry..."

"What? Peter, no, don't apologize." Steve gently massaged Peter's shaking legs as Tony held him. "You have nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of..."

"I hate clowns too, gives me the creeps." Tony tried to help the situation. Poor Peter was barely 15, but had been scared of clowns since he was a little kid. So, having to fight a crazy clown with super strength and a warped mind does not make this phobia any easier to live with.

"You know we would _never _let anything happen to you." Steve assured Peter.

"I know, I know..." Peter wiped the tears away. "I just can't get him out of my head."

"How 'bout this? When Aunt Tasha and Uncle Clint come back from God knows where, what do you say we call Uncle Thor and Bruce up in Asgard and we all go hike the Grand Canyon? It's on your bucket list..." Tony loved scheduling spontaneous family events. Getting the band back together, despite everyone having rooms here at Avengers Tower, was hard sometimes. They all seemed to have missions or prior commitments that kept some or most away at any given time. But Steve and Tony always tried to stay as close to the Big Apple as possible for Peter. They loved their son more than anything and were extremely protective.

"I'd like that." Peter smiled. "A nice distraction."

"And, while we're waiting on Grandpa to get us pizza," Tony ignored Steve's glare. "why don't you say we work on that new addition to your suit?" Steve loved to see Peter's reaction to anything lab-related. He was just like Tony, had such a love for science. But Steve made sure that Peter picked up some of his habits too, like working out, eating healthy...he was the best of both worlds.

"Yeah, Dad! Let's go now!" Peter jumped out of bed, both fathers relieved this was just a minor episode they got through.

"Three Supremes and some breadsticks?" Steve wanted to confirm.

Tony nodded and kissed him. "Extra pepperoni."

Steve kissed Peter on the head. "Love you both."

"Love you." They replied back.

* * *

As soon as Steve entered Fury's office, he knew something was wrong.

"You might wanna take a look at this, Cap." Fury handed Steve a tablet, and he froze.

It was a paused video of the Joker, frozen in mid-laugh...outside of Arkham.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve followed Fury to a car outside. A storm was on the horizon, heading their way.

"How long have you known?"

"Five minutes before you arrived." Fury rung his hands nervously. "This is bad, Cap. We might have to assemble your team to..." He trailed off, concern and fear all over his features.

"Sir, I..." Steve was cut off as words failed to finish his thought when they arrived at the statue dedicated to him in Brooklyn, his hometown.

The once proud symbol of everything he fought for and promised to do right by the people was deformed. The star was carved over with a HYDRA symbol on his chest and shield...blood was painted all over, dripping off into puddles on the ground...and a crooked smile was cut across his lips, making the statue utterly horrifying to look at.

Steve looked down at the inscription, vulgar things written in red marker all over like _faggot, fraud, freak, _and _neglectful father_.

"Neglectful father?" Steve's stomach twisted into knots.

"Obviously, this is a personal attack on you..." Fury calmly stated.

Steve kept stewing over that phrase until..."Oh God...Peter! Tony!" He darted away, sprinting as fast as he could back to Avengers Tower, praying he was not too late...

* * *

"Dad! This is the coolest thing ever!" Peter's eyes were as big as saucers as he gaped at the Iron Spider suit inside its glass container, floating and morphing in a fascinating display of red, gold, and blue.

"I can't wait for you to try it on." Tony was proud of himself and all of his accomplishments, sure, but he had to admit this was one of his favorites because not only was it for his son, and it was designed to protect his son, but it was made by both him and his son.

"When can I?" Those big eyes plead Tony.

"Only a couple more hours. JARVIS?"

...

"JARVIS? Wake up, Buddy. How's the suit reading?"

Dead silence replied when the power shut off. Tony instinctively grabbed Peter.

"Dad?" Peter's senses were going haywire again. "What's going on?"

"_Peter? Tony? Are y'all ok in there?_"

Tony's mind was going 90 to nothing, trying to figure out where the hell JARVIS was, when Peter rushed for the door to the lab entrance.

"Pops? Hey, the power went off and we can't get a hold of JARVIS. Honestly, it's so good to hear your voice because I thought it was-" Peter froze, his breath hitched, and he found it difficult to swallow.

Oh, God...the nightmares...

Piercing eyes reflected from the light, and...

It all happened so fast.

Peter was flown back, a stabbing pain shot through his abdomen and up his spine. He crashed into Dummy, who was folded into himself recharging. Electricity shocked Peter, as the little AI was destroyed.

"PETER!" Tony shouted, absolutely devastated. He reached for his suit, but was immediately attacked from behind by some goons.

"I wouldn't worry yet, if I were you. It's just a psychological manifestation, common among children. He thinks he's a robot, though I can't say much for the mechanical condition. I mean, there's a hole in the jacket, and the spine appears to be damaged."

Tony growled, fighting off the men with his bare hands and lunged at the Joker. "You scum, I'll-" He was cut off by a harsh kick to his middle and collapsed to his knees. He leaned towards Peter, trying to figure out how to get help.

"Will you?" The Joker jerked him by the hair of his head, yanking the phone out of Tony's hand. "Refreshing to hear, not by the book. Speaking of which, this one won't be walking off the shelf any time soon. In fact, the idea of him walking anywhere seems remote. But then, that's always a problem with soft backs." He noticed Tony was not paying attention to him, as he was trying to get to his son. He pulled harder on his hair, Tony letting out a soft cry. "Oh God, literary discussions can get so dry, can't they?" Throwing Tony towards his goons, he ordered, "Finish the Iron Man, take him where he needs to be, and please, do be careful. After all, he is topping the bill." The Joker focused back onto Peter, who was hovering his hands over his stomach, trying to breathe. "It really is a shame you'll miss your father's debut, Mr. Stark-_Rogers_. Sadly, our venue wasn't built for the disabled in mind."

Peter gasped as the Joker pulled his blood-stained t-shirt up and over his head to reveal his bare chest and injured stomach. His glove fingers barely touched Peter's skin, enough to make Peter shiver out of fear and shame.

"Why...are...you...doing this?" Peter finally managed to force out.

The Joker caressed Peter's face, tracing his jawline. "To prove a point." He patted his cheek like a child. "Here's to crime."


	3. Chapter 3

"JARVIS?" Steve panted up the stairs to the apartment, the elevator deemed too slow. "JARVIS!" He searched the bedrooms, the living room, everything was destroyed.

His stomach dropped as he saw the lab door open and heard a moan that broke his heart.

"H-help m-mee...pleeeease..." Peter sobbed.

"Peter?" Steve dropped to his knees and carefully cradled the little head, covered in sweat. "Oh..." His hands shook as he saw Peter was partially undressed, his jeans unzipped..."Peter...honey, look at me. Look at me." Peter's eyes heavily opened. "You're going to be ok. Fury is coming right behind me with help."

"P-p-pops...nnmm s...sssca-ared..." Tears streamed down his pale cheeks.

Steve applied pressure to the wound with his jacket, his thumb brushing loose hair out of the boy's face. Peter jerked away from the touch.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." Steve tried to keep it together, unsure of what to do...

"What happened here?" Coulson arrived with agents who swarmed the lab, trying to collect evidence.

"Peter..." Steve tore his eyes away and gave him a look of helplessness. "He's been shot...and...I don't know..."

"Medic!" Coulson barked. He put a hand on Steve's shoulder as he examined Peter and his appearance. "Don't worry, he's going to be fine."

Steve was gently pulled away as a stretcher was brought in and paramedics appeared to tend to Peter.

"Pops?"

"Peter, honey, you're ok now. They're going to take care of you."

"He-he took D-dad..." Peter cried.

"Who, son?" Steve gently pushed.

"Th-th-those eyes...I just..." Peter broke.

Steve's blood boiled. He gave Peter a kiss on the forehead, promising he would be back with Tony and turned to Coulson.

"Where the hell did that son of a bitch take him?"

Coulson stated solemnly. "Fury just gave me an idea..."

* * *

Tony jolted awake, finding himself tied to a chair. It looked like a prison, perhaps some sick joke of being locked up for questioning as SHIELD had done so many times to criminals and other threats to society.

"Peter?" Tony whispered in horror to himself. He tried pathetically to get free, jerking the chair a little, as it was bolted to the ground rather poorly. The table in front of him had a light bulb swinging ominously over it. There was a shadow on the other side of the door.

"Can you please tell me what I'm doing here!" Tony screamed. The shadow disappeared.

"Doing?" That icy voice asked right behind him. Tony whipped around surprised, his eyes following the Clown Prince of Crime as he sat down on the other side of the table in front of Tony. He folded his hands, resting his elbows. "You're doing what any sane man in your appalling circumstances would do...you're going mad!" He smiled.

Tony sniffed, looking away, shaking his head. "Yeah, you're really pissing me off, buddy." Tony sneered. "You shot _my _son...and I'm going to _kill you._"

The Joker thought about what he said for a moment. "Yes, well, that is quite understandable...I'd be mad too, at one point in my life. But you, the GREAT TONY STARK! THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN! YOU!" The Joker shook his hands, "...are going to lose your fucking mind..."

Tony smiled. "What, like you? Please. You know all about me. You know I'm just as stubborn as the rest of them. I'm not weak like you." The Joker glared at him. "What kind of sob story are you hiding? Bullies? Freak accident? Parents shot in an alley? Huh? What set _your _ticker off?"

The Joker pulled out a knife and admired it in the dimly lit room. "I do know all about you..." He stood and pulled up his own shirt sleeve. "I know all about your past..." He traced his knife across his skin, trying to find the perfect spot. "I know all about your..._family_." He smiled at Tony's shocked expression. "Yeeesssss...You married Captain America. And you adopted a son, Peter Parker. Lucky for him, he became just like his daddy's...a _superhero_! How _proud_ you must be!" The Joker cut into his skin, but showed absolutely no sign of discomfort whatsoever. His eyes never left Tony. "To have such a perfect little family...it makes me sick! Your _husband _and I go way back! He killed Red Skull! He found out HYDRA! He ruined my life! I was supposed to be great...I wanted to save this world...now that I got a second chance, like he did..." He tossed the knife on the table, then stuck his fingers into his wound. "I'm going to rid this world of people like _you_, who think they're better than everybody else. I'm going to teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

"So, kill us all? Just like that?" Tony tried to hide his fear. The Joker scared him now more than ever. And he was not an army of terrorists or aliens invading earth. No, he was much worse than that.

The Joker laughed. "What? No, no, no! Not literally kill you...wh-why would I do such a thing?" He stabbed the table, but the knife slipped across the metal surface and clattered onto the floor. "I want to make Steve Rogers-Stark _wish _he were dead." He shook, getting more and more upset. Tony cowered back into his seat. "I am going to _break _him until he _begs _me to kill him..." That laugh again...

"You are absolutely _sick_, you know that, right?" Tony's eyes were as big as saucers as he saw the Joker continue to just laugh.


	4. Chapter 4

The nightmares never left. He must have passed out a while ago, because it just kept going on and on and on.

That laugh...

Those eyes...

The _fear..._

Why was this happening to him? Where was his dad?

Why was the Joker ruining his life?

Peter woke up in SHIELD's emergency medical department, Coulson quietly standing by the doorway. The agent smiled and slowly approached the bed.

"How ya feeling, kid?" Coulson looked relieved to see him awake.

Peter swallowed hard. He was trying. "I...I don't know..." He moved to sit up, but realized he weighed a ton, he was so weak.

"Let me get the nurse." Coulson left as Fury suddenly entered.

"What's going on?" Peter sadly asked.

The older man let out a sigh, looked away for a second, and pulled a chair up close to Peter's side.

"I don't want to be the one to tell you this-"

"Is it Dad?" Peter cried. "Is he-"

"No..._no_. Your Pops is on his way to save him right as we speak. I'm talking about your...status..." Fury cut his eyes away. "Peter...you were shot directly into your spine..."

Peter took in a shaky breath.

"I don't know if-"

"I'm still Spider-Man..." Peter stated clearly. "That will never change."

"Peter, the doctors don't think you'll walk again..." Fury held his gaze with his one good eye, and saw a wave of emotions attack the poor boy.

Peter's heart felt like it was breaking his ribcage. He was so upset. "B-but...my healing powers..." He looked up hopefully.

"We'll see." Fury patted his hand assuredly. "If you have that Stark Stubbornness, I say that you have a fighting chance."

Peter silently prayed that it were true.

* * *

Steve hung up on JARVIS after confirming their location, the AI promising backup would be on the way soon. He did not mind: this fight was between him and the Joker. Attacking his family made it personal.

There were no guards, no security from what JARVIS could tell him. Steve was no idiot, though. He found a window he could easily manipulate open on the second floor.

Sneaking down the hallway, he heard that dreadful laughter. It angered him.

Then there was the begging.

Tony Stark _never _begged.

"_Please...please, stop...I get it, you hate Steve and you hate me for getting involved...just, why are you doing this? Please, stop!_"

Steve crept closer to the door, tightening his grip on the shield.

"_Because hurting the boy hurts you, and hurting you hurts _him!" The Joker laughed as Tony cried. A punch was heard followed by horrible coughing. "_WHY AREN'T YOU LAUGHING?_"

Steve slammed the door open, a loud echo enveloped the room. "JOKER!" Both men turned to see the Captain. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

"_Well_, look who finally decided to show up!" Joker smiled, walking over behind Tony. He pulled out a knife hidden in his jacket and teased the man's throat. "Tell me, Captain, do you recall the last time you saw me? How scared your little boy was?" Pulling Tony's head back by the hair, he held the knife up against the throbbing neck. "Do you feel the same way?"

Tony's breath hitched, scared to breathe for fear of cutting his own throat.

Steve put his shield down, hands up in surrender. "Yes...I do...I'm scared. And I remember..."

"He's been up all hours of the night since we danced, hasn't he?" Joker raised a knowing eyebrow.

Tony and Steve panicked. _How did he know?_

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, I've never been to your humble abode...but I know fear when I see it, and your son is _deathly _afraid of me." He smiled so big, Steve thought he started to bleed. "Yes, memory's are so treacherous. One moment, you're lost in a carnival of delight: childhood aromas, the flashing neon of puberty, all that sentimental candyfloss. The next, it takes you somewhere you don't want to be. Somewhere dark and cold, filled with the damp, ambiguous shapes of things you'd rather forget. Memories can be vile, repulsive little brutes. Like children, no?"

The Joker let go of Tony and walked over to a dark corner of the room. Steve took a step towards him, and the Joker quickly turned around and fired a gun right above his head. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you." He fiddled with something in the dark one-handed, as the gun was clicked back ready to fire again. A light shot across the room onto the blank wall, the pictures starting to fill the projection.

Tony and Steve gasped in horror. Pictures of Peter flashed across the screen, laying in agony on the floor, covered in blood, crying, screaming, gloved hands reaching and touching all over him. As the pictures got more and more, intimate, the fathers started getting angrier and angrier. Peter was shirtless, his belt yanked off in one and beaten across his chest in another. Then, those hands reached to pull his pants down, and Steve had to look away. All he heard were Tony's screams and Joker's laughter getting more and more obnoxious.

"I hate memories..." The Joker calmly stated, as if bored. He stopped on a picture of Peter's wide and frightened eyes. "But _this _is absolutely delightful! Look at you two! So broken and upset!" He softly laughed as he heard them cry. "Whenever you find yourself locked onto an unpleasant train of thought, leading to places in your past where the screaming is unavoidable, remember this: There's always madness. You can just step outside and close the door on all those dreadful things that happened. You can lock them away...Forever."

The Joker suddenly beat the soldier across the face with a crowbar. He never saw it coming.

"Steve!" Tony cried.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve's head spun, ears ringing with laughter and screams. God, his head hurt. He moaned, trying to get his vision back. He felt with his fingers thick, sticky blood in his golden hair.

"All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy. That's how far the world is from where I am. Just one." _BANG!_ to the shoulder. "Bad." _BANG!_ to the ribs. "Day." _BANG!_ to the leg. Steve grimaced, trying to reach for the crowbar, but the Joker was fast. Like a snake, he slipped back a couple feet to admire his work.

"You know, Rogers, if you would've just said yes to Red Skull, we could've been just as powerful as the gods. We could've had a peaceful world, a world without war or..._chaos_. You know, now that I mention it, this is much more fun. All is forgiven. Your past is meaningless to me...now...this present, though..." Joker jabbed the crowbar into Tony's stomach.

Tony wheezed, unable to breathe. He tried to cough, but could not for the life of him.

"Leave him alone! This is between you and me." Steve stood up shaking, bruises all over his body. "Let him go, don't _ever _touch my son again, and we can just do this all day." Steve clenched his fists. "I've got all the time in the world to rip you to shreds."

The Joker laughed. "Someone's got a spine, now! You think you can go one whole day with me? Ha!"

"I swear to God if you laugh ONE MORE FUCKING TIME YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Tony rolled his eyes into the back of his head. He was sick of it. The laughing, the mind games, the torture. He was so done. He just wanted to kill this fucking clown.

"Sorry, did I strike a nerve?" Joker turned back around to Tony. Tony jerked on his cuffs again. "Does someone need to blow off some steam?" He pulled out a key and freed the genius from his restraints.

"Yeah, actually. Thanks." Tony swung hard and nailed the clown in the cheek.

Joker spit out blood and cheered. "Yes! This is what I'm talking about! You're so _angry _and full of _hate _right now. I _love _it..."

Steve reached Tony and pulled him away from the Joker.

"You think I'm just going to let you walk out of here, back to your son? _No_, I'm going to show him how neglectful you are as fathers. I'm going to show him what to really be scared of...loneliness. You all have just had the worst day of your lives, and you will never stop thinking about it. I want you to remember this...I want you to remember _me_..._I _am your fear, _I _am your pain. And _I_ will have the last laugh." A smoke bomb was set off in between them, and Tony and Steve bolted forward to catch him, but failed.

Laughter echoed down the hallway.

"Stay with me." Steve told Tony, who pulled him back for a second into a quick kiss. "Not the time, honey."

"Worth it." Tony smirked, his bruises all sorts of painful colors on his beautiful face. Steve gently caressed it, careful not to irritate them.

"Let's go get this son of a bitch."

"Wow, your language is appalling today." Tony snarked off.

* * *

Peter woke up again to a room full of people. Apparently, everyone had returned once they heard the news.

"Hey guys..." Peter weakly greeted.

Natasha did not say anything. She stared at him for a moment while everyone hugged him and asked how he was feeling. She knew. She knew just by looking at him what had happened. She had known _he _had been bothering her little spider for a long time. And it pissed her off. She would never reveal this to anyone and swore JARVIS to secrecy, but she had stopped the Joker on a couple occasions from breaking into the Tower. Much to his dismay, he never got the chance to reach the boy. Except when she left and her guard was down for one day.

All it takes is one day, one chance to change everything.

The Black Widow kissed her nephew sweetly.

Thor boomed: "We must go now, to aid your fathers in battle. The clown's tyranny ends tonight!"

Peter was so relieved to have everyone back. He started to cry again. They all knew why, and no one would dare bring it up.

"Thank-you...so much..."

"Whatever you need, kid." Clint went to reach to rub his leg in comfort, but hesitated.


	6. Chapter 6

The hallways stretched into numerous rooms, all filled with that laughter. They checked every single one of them.

They all had another thing in common...they were full of traps: guns, knives, bombs, even a hungry panther in one.

Steve held his shield up, trying to use his enhanced hearing to their advantage. He also never let go of Tony, who was cursing to himself throughout the entire search.

They finally found him on the rooftop.

"If I had known you would be searching for me this desperately Captain, I would've bought some flowers to go with that ring." The clown turned around. "It feels good to be needed, I am thankful for all of this attention. But, I have to pause and wonder...why haven't I broke you? I mean, honestly!" He fiddled with the knife, as if nervously.

"Joker, what you did today was unforgivable, even for you." Steve cautiously stepped forward.

"Why, thank-you." Joker mockingly bowed.

"No, you lost, Joker." Tony spat. "Despite all your sick, cruel, vicious little games, we're as sane as we ever were. Now," Tony's voice started to crack. "If it weren't for this man and my son, I would kill you in the most grotesque and painful way possible, and I would enjoy it...they call me 'The Merchant of Death' for a reason. But, I'm also a changed man. And I will avenge my son, giving him the justice he deserves. I will avenge him. I don't break that easily. One bad day, my ass...maybe..." Tony smirked. "It's just _you_."

The Joker growled. "Big talk for a man who almost lost everything he ever held dear." He cut his eyes to Steve. "But the night is still young." He threw the knife at the pair, but the shield blocked the two. He shot towards them, his demonic gaze hungry for blood.

Their blood.

As they fought each other off, Tony could barely pick up a sound that was music to his ears. Cool titanium alloy attached to his fist as he delivered one of the most satisfying punches in his life. Soon, the entire Iron Man armor was adorned. Steve's relieved face could not have been more genuine.

"JARVIS, I don't recall giving you the day off."

"_My apologies, Sir, I was prohibited from any further actions ever since young Peter's suit upgrade."_

Tony was thankful his face was covered, as a tear trickled down his face, remembering what had happened. And it only added fuel to his fire.

"What now, Iron Man?" Joker laughed. "Hiding behind a suit because you can't defeat me? Pathetic."

"Um, I'm having some quality time with my butler, thank-you very much. Mind your damn business, because we're about to shut you down...for good."

Thunder boomed as lighting broke across the sky and in between the men. Thor turned around, his eyes glowing in hatred.

"Well, shit." Joker slumped.

"How _dare _you harm my _family_." Thor gripped the Joker's neck with a large hand, Mjolnir swinging below threateningly in the other. "You will pay for what you have done this day."

"Put him down, Thor." Natasha stood defiant, her arms crossed, head cocked to the side. "I don't want you to have all of the glory."

The Joker smiled. "There's my darling. I sure have missed you and our little meetings."

"Me too." She did not miss a beat, ignoring everyone else's confused looks and questioning murmurs. "Shall we?" She walked up to him, and he stupidly did not flinch.

"Care to hear a joke, dar-OW!" She had him pinned before he could even finish a word, knife pressed to his throat. "Well, what goes around comes around, haha!"

"You even _think _about him, or _ever __touch_ him again..."

The Joker waited, was not going to be rude and interrupt a lady such as herself. Nothing happened. "I-is that it?"

"You don't wanna know." Tony had big eyes, trying to scare the Joker, but all he did was shrug it off.

"Please, I've already won! I did what I set out to do. No amount of movie nights or therapy, physical _or _psychological, can undo what I have accomplished. Hahahahaha...kill me if you want, but I always get the last la-"

Steve watched in shock as the Joker clung to his neck desperately trying to breathe. He stumbled and reached for anyone, anything to help him. But there was nothing he could do to stop the inevitable.

Natasha stepped back beside Thor, her dark eyes never leaving the dying clown as she tossed the knife aside lazily.

"Go to hell, you son of a bitch."

Even Tony had nothing to say as the Joker, the latest fuel of their nightmares, had finally ended. He was only upset that he did not give the killing blow. He could fix that. He knelt down, fighting past Steve, to stare this murderer in the eyes.

"I want to be the last thing you see." Tony stared daggers into him, mask lifted.

The Joker started to laugh, but was cut off by a shot through the chest.

"Tony..." Steve thought to lecture him, that they do not kill. He knew better than to say anything to Natasha. She had her own code.

"I don't care..." Tony whispered. "I just want to see my son."

* * *

"Dad?" Peter shot up a little too fast, getting dizzy and slumping back into bed.

"Peter?" Tony cried. He kept a safe distance away, knowing that touch was something they would have to get used to eventually after shock wears off. "Are you ok, son?"

Peter started crying. "I'm so happy to see you and Pops back, I..." Peter grabbed his father and held on so tight. Tony did not care that his cuts and bruises were screaming at him to stop. All he cared about was that he had his family back.

"I love you, Dad."

* * *

**Six Months Later**

"Peter, I don't know how I feel about this." Steve looked nervously to Bruce and Tony, who were busy going over last minute modifications with JARVIS. "I want you to take it easy."

"Pops, I've been taking it easy for too long! I can do this!"

Peter carefully sat up, not used to the extra weight the braces on his legs gave him. But he was determined.

Thor helped him stand up and basically carried him to the two parallel bars. He kept a grip on the boy until Peter gave a nod.

"I'm ok."

"Are you sure?" Thor asked anxiously. "I do not wish any more harm on you."

"Promise." Thor slowly let go, all of the Avengers held their breath.

Peter took a deep breath, and slowly put one foot forward. The braces seemed to push his muscles, a tickle reached the upper part of his spine that was not damaged. He could not believe it.

Neither could anyone else.

Peter was walking, even though as if for the first time.

And there was not a dry eye in the room.

Peter laughed, stumbling forward when strong, loving arms caught him. He looked up into Tony's tear-stained face, and burst into tears, thanking his father over and over again.

It would take time to heal physically, and Tony did not want to discuss any other mental abuse until he was ready. What happened to them was tragic, something no one would ever forget.

But they had each other...their little makeshift family could tackle any obstacle together...


End file.
